Lotor (VLD)
Prince Lotor is the exiled prince of the Galra Empire and the son of Zarkon. After Zarkon's obsession with the Black Lion leads to the emperor's defeat at the hands of the Voltron team and their allies, putting Zarkon in a comatose state under the care of Haggar, the prince is summoned by the witch to lead in his father's stead. Appearance LotorFullFace.png|Full face revealed. LotorSword.png|Armor and sword. Lotor has the appearance of a lean, muscular young man with pale lavender skin who is described as being small in the eyes of other Galra - a species known for their staggering height compared to humans of Earth. His long white hair is slicked back behind his shoulders down to the middle of his back in slightly wavy strands with shorter ones curving upward on either side at his shoulders. A forelock of bangs protrudes from his forehead and remains over his face, reaching as low as his mouth. His eyebrows are also white. Unlike most Galrans, Lotor does not have yellow eyes with no visual iris and pupil; instead he has bright blue eyes with distinct pupils that are slitted in appearance, and his eyes have yellow sclerae. He has pointed ears reminiscent of Alteans. Lotor wears a mix of dark gray and blue-gray armor that includes a split waist cape reaching just under his knees. The waist cape is split in three places. His armor is accented with deeper blue across his chest, neckline, and hips, as well as red-orange lining his gauntlets at his elbows, decorating his mid-torso in a "V" shape, lining his collar, and encompassing the inside of his waist cape. Each of his gauntlets is decorated with two brightly glowing violet lights on the back of his hands - the same which can be seen comprising the quillions and pommel of his sword, while the center of the sword's guard features the same deep blue color accenting his armor. Personality The exact nature and motivations of the prince of the Galra Empire largely remain an enigma. He is a naturally charismatic leader with a commanding voice that invigorates his subjects, be it to vouch for the value of an ally's strength, or to vow utter destruction of enemies. While the speech he gives advocating for ruling by loyalty and not fear is part of a ruse to sway the masses, Lotor holds true to a sense of honor and nobility that places him in sharp contrast to other members of the Empire: fellow Galrans consider him a "lunatic" for both fighting alongside his military as if no higher than a private, and also for allowing planets he conquers to rule themselves as long as they pledge loyalty to him, taking the fallen societies under his protection rather than crushing them under his boot. Lotor is inclined to use indirect methods such as tactical strategy, mental manipulation, and charm to achieve his goals rather than overpowering destructive force; he has no pride barring him from retreating from battle at any time - although he is an adept military commander and deadly swordsman who holds no fear of fighting solo on the battlefield, and absolutely is not one to be underestimated. He is cunning and deceitful, easily donning a convincing demeanor extending mercy, honor, and compassion towards his defeated enemies to gain their loyalty and trust—Only to reveal he has more malicious intents in mind. An opportunist who carries himself with confidence even when the unexpected or misfortune arises, the prince acts as though the dice never leave his hand no matter the outcome, keeping a calm persona with restrained emotions. However, he has displayed a temper and frustration when things do not go as planned - but especially at the mention of his father, Zarkon. An outburst of rage, coupled with the declaration that he is not his father, proves that Lotor holds Zarkon in great contempt. His ambitious plans seem to be kept hidden from Haggar's eyes, but he makes it clear that he is not fearful of her and adamant about having his own way by seemingly killing the Galra commander sent to monitor him and presenting his severed robotic arm to her as a warning, after showing mirthful delight at the prospect of capturing him, solidifying how brutal and dangerous the prince is underneath his neatly wrapped-up charms. Abilities Lotor utilizes a sword and fights one-handed, though he will use hand-to-hand combat as well, suggesting skill in its art; he has such high skills in swordsmanship that he is confident enough to willingly battle and defeat an enemy in the Galra Empire's arena with a sword before an audience of the Empire's military and challenge Throk to a duel for the throne. Lotor is powerful enough to deliver a staggering punch to the much larger Galran and shatter the commander's sword with his own. Not only is he skilled at close-combat in person, Lotor's superb piloting skills are aided by his use of an agile fighter jet that can rotate its engine wings, and he is adept at flying this jet through tight crevices at high speeds. It can be recalibrated to adjust for atmosphere changes, visibility, and unusual magnetic activity, giving him heavy advantage over other spacecrafts. This specialized fighter jet is stored within the Royal Warship he commands. Lotor's greatest strength lies in his intellect and tactical prowess, extensively using methodical means to test and probe his targets for a result. Lotor prefers not to blindly attack without garnering a full understanding of a situation beforehand with careful study, nor will he immediately choose to use the full extent of his weaponry, strength, and military force. Once unleashed, Lotor is frighteningly dangerous because of his sheer competence in strategy and battle, able to handle all five Voltron Lions on his own with his single fighter jet by using its agility and taking advantage of the Paladins disorganized state. This strategy of using someone's own weaknesses and abilities against them is habitual, as he easily reads his opponents, be it in a duel of swords where he allows his enemy tire out from their own aggressive attacks, or when exposing a hidden spy by panicking them. Trivia * The reason for Lotor's exile is unknown. *Honerva is Lotor's mother. While he refers to her by her original name of 10,000 years ago, it is not known when Lotor was born or what span of time he has experienced, so his age remains unknown. * The generals of Lotor's royal guard - Acxa, Ezor, Narti, and Zethrid - are all half-Galran women. * Lotor has done research on Voltron and its origins, as he located a second comet similar in make to the one Voltron was created from and correctly theorized on Voltron's ability to pass between realities. * Lotor's gratitude at Team Voltron for answering "his" distress signal, which was used specifically by Altean ships serving under Alfor 10,000 years ago, suggests Lotor is familiar with Altean technology. * Prior to Season Three, Lotor's face was kept hidden because of his status as an iconic character of the Voltron franchise. During WonderCon 2017, a clip of Lotor was revealed to panel attendees, but being April Fool's Day, his face was hidden by the cow given to Lance in Space Mall.Voltron Twitter * Tyler Labine considers Lotor to be one of the most complex, complicated, and well-written villains on TV.Rewind and Pause with Bex-Taylor Klaus and Tyler Labine at San Diego Comic-Con 2017 * Lotor is based on the character Lotor of the previous Voltron franchises, who in turn was based on the character Sincline of Beast King GoLion. According to Lauren Montgomery, series staff saw in the villainous prince of Defender of the Universe a character that could be molded to be cooler and more motivated, and she spoke disdainfully of the older generation Lotor's obsession with Allura.IGN with Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, February 2017Entertainment Weekly with Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, January 2017 References Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Aliens Category:Galra Empire